Commentary: The 25 best Beehive State FBS quarterbacks of the last 35 years

Detmer led the nation in passing yards three times and ended his career as the all-time leading passer in NCAA history with more than 15,000 yards. He also accounted for 137 touchdowns, including bowl games, and won the Davey O’Brien award as the nation’s best quarterback twice.

Detmer is the only Cougar to ever win the Heisman trophy, which he did as a junior. Detmer was also only one of two Cougars named first team All-American twice.

For his remarkable career at BYU, Detmer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

I am pretty tired right now and should probably sleep, so there are probably
other things to complain about, and I realize a list like this is highly
subjective, but Bosco rated ahead of Young? Seriously. Wow. Anyway, I also have
some praise for this list, that being who is in the top 4(all BYU I might add
and you can't really argue with it). I guess the order of the top 5 is up
for argument but you can't really argue with that as the top 4. Oh, I just
noticed the top 5 are BYU. I agree!

You mean Gary
Sheide? Yeah, I'd rank him above a few on the list. He's the guy that
pretty much started the QB tradition for BYU. Won the Sammy Baugh award (btw--no
other school has more Sammy Baugh award winners than BYU) and was inducted into
the BYU hall of fame.

Alex Smith leads an undefeated team, which includes victories over four BCS
teams and a Fiesta Bowl victory and he's ranked only 6th best? Smith also
ends up being drafted #1 overall in the NFL draft. And Brian Johnson leads an
undefeated team, which also includes victories over four BCS teams including
Alabama, a team that had been ranked #1 for six weeks, in the Sugar Bowl and
he's only the 9th best?

Yet, all of the BYU quarterbacks
ranked above them put up big numbers against vastly inferior WAC competition in
the early 1980's. The teams they beat would have lost to a lot of junior
college teams. They played very few, if any, legitimate solid BCS-caliber
teams. Yet they're ranked #1-5?

I think Gifford Neilson needed to be on the list but the author limited it to 35
years. Mitchell and Brian Johnson ahead of Beck and Hall? That's just
plain silly looking at the comparative stats. Looks like the author was trying
to be politically correct. I remember all of these except Egger. Walsh would
have been higher if he had stuck around but he got stars in his eyes about how
good he was and left early. Sarkisian just didn't have enough seasons or
he would have been greater too. Ratliffe was really unstoppable after that
first game against BYU.

Generally agree with listing, but no way is Robbie Bosco ahead of Steve Young.
Bosco helped team win a national championship, but was not nearly as valuable to
the team as Young was to his teams. And if the team's high ranking
artificially props Bosco up, why not push Alex Smith and Brian Johnson higher
given the undefeated, BCS-busting teams they led?

Oh I wanted to mention Anthony Calvillo, of all the quarterbacks listed here he
has had the most successful pro career. He is still playing in the Canadian
league and although most Americans don't know much about the league his
success there is legendary. All time passing QB and he just keeps on ticking.
And I agree Hipple is to low for how he did in his time.

How can you have a listing of greatest QB's in the state and leave off
USU's Touchdown Tony Adams, the greatest Aggie of them all (who's
jersey is actually retired) who at one time held the NCAA record for passing
yards in a single game and was a Heisman candidate in 1972, or BYU's Gary
Sheide or Virgil Carter, who had far better careers that Brandon Doman or Kevin
Feterik could ever hope to have. That's the problem with some fishhack
doing these lists. They don't consult anyone with any memory of Utah
football history.

Makes sense that the top 5 are from BYU and 11 of the 25 are also from BYU since
they are the #1 team in the state. I know the Utah fas will crow about the past
three years. We get it....but one game does not make a season.

Isn't QBU the "other" U? The University of Miami?Anyway, this
list is only going on stats, not overall importance to their given team. It
pains me to say this as a Ute fan, but Young is 1, JimmyMac 2, Detmer 3, then
Alex and Brian. It's hard to argue against the Y's prolific offensive
years of the late 70's, 80's and early 90's. They did indeed have
some great numbers. True, it was against 2nd rate defenses, but you play your
schedule and go from there. Both the Y and the U have improved their schedules
the last ten years, and Brian and Alex were part of that as was Hall. Detmer won
the Heisman but was a professional bust. He couldn't throw against guys
with speed, he was used to throwing against Wyoming and New Mexico who he could
have 500 plus yard games against. Stats from yesterday can't really be
compared to the guys who play against bigger, faster, stronger teams today. That
goes for both teams.

Amzed that people don't get the 35 year or FBS idea. Thus, no Gifford
Nielson SUU "kid" etc.

As far as the list, I think
it's pretty accurate. People, especially Ute fans, will naturally be
inclined to put Hall lower because the guy was such a tool, but in terms of
stats, you can't argue with them. For Ute QB's I generally agree.
While Brian Johnson was on one of the best Ute teams, he was more of a game
manager than a game changer. Their defense and running game during that year
were great. Having said that, I think Alex Smith should be ahead of Wilson. He
had one of the most efficient seasons in NCAA history and was a huge reason for
his team's success (maybe with a little Urban help)during those years.

Your Utes put up their numbers against the same WAC/MWC teams
that the BYU QB's did.In fact, BYU's QB's proved their
worth against even greater OOC competition, the Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M
and Miami's of the world, sprinkled in.

BYU has QB's which
have won Super Bowls and been Super Bowl and NFL MVP's............U have
not.And we've all seen how your Utes have fallen into obscurity.

Get back to us when the U has produced their first National Award winner
(BYU has 21) a College Hall of Famer (BYU has 7), Super Bowl and NFL MVP's
and 16 Consensus All-Americans...etc. etc..

@Josey Wells

Name a Miami QB which ever won a Super Bowl?

As for Detmer,
receiving a paycheck from an NFL team as a player, "For 14 Years" is
hardly a bust.

Bluto- I'm not the one who made up the name QBU for Miami. It's from
the media. Look it up. AS for SB wins, I'm not sure there is one, I believe
Jim Kelly went to the game but didn't win. I don't like Miami by the
way.True, Detmer got a check for holding a clipboard, and that's
cool. I called him a bust because he didn't really ever play much or
contribute. He was a fantastic college QB however and that's why I said he
was top 3. Same for Brian, good in college, won the Sugar bowl against Bama, but
wasn't a pro QB. Even though Mitchell has the records, and played
professionally, I say both Alex and Brian are ahead of him because they both
played against better competition, and won BCS bowls. Facts are facts, and
it pains me to admit, but the Y has had the better QB's hands down. The
future may be better to the Utes hopefully.

No way was Boscoe better than Steve Young... or Marc Wilson for that
matter...even with a National Championship. He benefitted greatly by probably
having the best offensive line in BYU's history...making things so much
easier for him than his predecessors. Lavell Edwards credits him as probably the
best potentially that he ever coached but that he was disappointedly not as
motivated to work as hard as others like Detmer, Wilson, McMahon and Young.

I feel like keeton, smith and johnson should have been a little higher. They
probably got dropped a little for not being your typical pocket passers or being
in an offense that highlights the QB and puts up huge stats.

I'm sorry, but Brian Johnson is ranked way too high. He's not top
ten. He may not even be top 15. Yes, he was the QB on a team that went
undefeated. But he was not the reason. The defense won that Sugar Bowl; not
the offense. That isn't a knock on Johnson, by any means. He's a
good quarterback. Just not better than 15+ other guys on that list.

I love GoRed's spin on why Alex Smith >>> that any other BYU QB
just because he led his team to a BCS birth and victory. Alex played against the
same conference opponents as BYU did. Yes he had a great year, but to sell the
notion that he should be at the top requires rose colored glasses.

To
those of you lementing that Chuckie Keeton isn't higher just remember he
isn't done yet. For him to be placed much higher at this point would
require a fortune teller.